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This invention relates to a medical diagnostic ultrasound system and method. Ultrasound systems generate a sequence of images representing a region of a body. Different processes and hardware are used to generate the images. Many of the processes and hardware components are divided into ultrasound subsystems. Each subsystem is typically implemented with an ASIC. The ASIC is designed to perform a particular process. The processes are determined in part as a function of the system architecture or ASIC based design.
The subsystems are connected to a back plane or common structure to form the ultrasound system. The ultrasound system typically is mounted on a large wheeled cart.
The present invention is defined by the following claims, and nothing in this section shall be taken as a limitation on those claims. By way of introduction, the following preferred embodiments, described below, include a medical diagnostic ultrasound system which is portable and capable of being carried by a built in handle from location to location by single person. The system is provided in a package which is both light and compact. This combination makes transport, storage and use much easier.
In another preferred embodiment, described below, the circuitry of the ultrasound system is distributed among several circuit boards which are interconnected directly with one another without the use of a backplane or motherboard. Such interconnection enhances system performance and reliability while reducing the size of the device and the manufacturing costs.